About Kate Bailward

Post coming very soon – in the meantime, why not check out the offerings from the other ladies of the Italy Roundtable? The Italy Roundtable is a group of likeminded women writing about different facets of Italy. The theme this … Continue reading →

December sun warming bare skin. Pigeons roosting in holes in the wall, nibbling their feathers and bobbing their heads. The gentle, constant whirr of an extractor fan. A line of gossamer flying past, seeming to float on sunlight. Tiny flies … Continue reading →

Harvest, to me as a child in a farming community, meant wheat stubble burning and the throat-clutching excitement (terror?) of seeing the fire and smoke licking across the fields. Even though it was controlled, there was still – in my child’s … Continue reading →

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that it’s been a bit quiet around here recently. There’s a reason for that – Davide and I got married on 20 August! It’s therefore been a busy few months, but hopefully with the … Continue reading →

Signor Crigio, who owns the men’s tailoring shop that used to be at the bottom of the building, is tiny, dapper and slim, with round glasses and a white, perfectly-trimmed moustache – the archetypal tailor. He’s recently closed the shop down, … Continue reading →

The guys selling the chicken, pork and beef from the stalls outside the butcher’s shop know me now. After eighteen months of me shopping there, they can guess what I’m after before I’ve even asked for it. The chicken guy … Continue reading →

Well, all right, not fight about. But they definitely baffle us. Welcome to the heady world of the cross-cultural relationship. Item one: food He’s Italian; I’m English. You may be chuckling right now, thinking that you’ve already guessed what the problem … Continue reading →

“Good morning. I’m English, but I’d like to get Italian residency.” The man in the filthy, nicotine-stained office with the overflowing ashtray on his desk barely gives me a glance. “You’re in the wrong department. Round the corner, number 28, … Continue reading →

Months and months and *months* ago, I received an email from Rochelle of Unwilling Expat, asking if I’d be interested in doing an interview for her blog. I shot her a quick email back, saying yes, why not? – and promptly … Continue reading →